Lee Michaels rose from the San Francisco scene in the late 1960s with a sound that embodied gospel, rock and pop. Wielding an organ like a lead guitar, Michaels crossed all musical boundaries. He embarked on a solo career in 1968 that saw six A&M albums over the next four years, all of which brimmed with funk, soul and rock. In 1971, Michaels penned a song that he thought to be a throwaway, "Do You Know What I Mean." The song, which tells the posttraumatic tale of losing a girlfriend to a buddy, quickly took on a life of its own, landing in the Top 10 and becoming a rock staple. This collection culls together tracks from all six albums, offering a more complete look at this versatile artist. Album Description
It's a great shame truly unique artists like Lee Michaels are now an almost extinct genre-replaced by a load of "radio friendly" "hey Chuck, this'll sell a million" cookie cutter rubbish. A very good collection of rock/soul music. Recommended.
June 14, 2008 |  | What ever happened to Lee Michaels? |  |
Strange, let me explain. Here I am an American ex-Patriot, pushing 70 and living in Sweden. The other nite was kicked-back watching a TV movie with Mark Wahlberg, called "Invincible", and my head picked-up when I heard a background song... that I knew so well... but, couldn't place it. So, I waited to view the movie credits and track down the song that had caught my interest. And then, my response... "Oh Yeah", it was Lee Michaels' "Do You Know What I Mean"... it blew me away. Being from San Francisco, and seing Lee & Frosty perform at Bill Graham's Filmore West in the late 1960's, and even recalled owing an 8-track of his album "Fifth", wonder what ever happened to it? Anyway, my next move was a visit to Amazon.com and have since downloaded two of his albums "Hello" and "Live", and even though spliced n' diced, the blow-back in my mind by listening once again to this talented artist from another time brings back wonderful memories of what was the era of Vietnam, but it was a better time for music and politics. Too bad we had to grow-up and face the real world, a similar time exists today with the US at war in the Middle East, but today's music isn't coming through, and frankly, neither is the politics, being the reason I today reside in Sweden.
With Frosty not performing on his last album "Lee Michaels - Live", and in hindsight wondering "WHY" he was never heard from again and how much more music he had to offer, and never even knew Frosty's real name, and I am left wondering -- "What Ever Happened to Lee Michaels & Frosty?" If, anyone knows would be pleased to learn. Now get their albums, they are still fantastic and emotional listening.
April 24, 2008| | | Great selection of Lee's music | |
I have been a fan of Lee Michaels since the late 60's and I am finding his music now just as exciting and exilerating as I did then. The selection covered a wide spectrum of his incredible talents and abilities. Simply wonderful.
October 5, 2007Lots of good vintage Lee Michaels cuts on this one, but cutting the "Tell Me How Do You Feel" medley in half was unforgivable. It's not as if Frosty's solo was the greatest thing since Buddy Rich - editing that down would have been perfectly okay. But LM's entrance after the solo, and the finale of "My Friends", was arguably the best moment on the entire "Lee Michaels" LP.
Very disappointing.
May 26, 2007| | | Fantastic Musician & Vocalist | |
I am one of the lucky few who got to see and hear Lee Michaels (and Frosty) perform live at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium back in the 1960's. And even to this day, after having been at live performances by Genesis, The Cars, The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Creedance Clearwater Revival, .38 Special, Clover, The Youngbloods, Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Joe Cocker, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airman, Canned Heat, Buffalo Springfield, Ike & Tina Turner, The Righteous Brothers, Wang Chung, The Who, B.B. King, Blood, Sweat & Tears, Jethro Tull and more...Lee Michaels & Frosty STILL stand out as one of the most cell-exploding live acts ever! It was absolutely impossible to feel down at a Lee Michaels & Frosty concert! The dynamic, envigorating and mind blowing combination of Lee Michaels voice (with it's incredible range), his musicianship on his Hammond Organ and Frosty's perfectly meshed drum playing blended into one of the all-time best evenings of my life (no kidding!) And not only were they great live, they sound almost as good on their recordings. Buy this CD, get to know these magnificent performers. You'll become a Lee Michaels & Frosty fan forever.
April 25, 2007More reviews at Amazon.com ...
(9 reviews)